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Colin Cowherd
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Colin Cowherd
Ball thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd@foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Now, let's get this party started. You're listening to FOX Sports Radio. Oh, it is a Monday and we are gonna be loaded. Jimmie Johnson, the Hall of Famer in one hour with Colin Right, Colin Wrong Live in Los Angeles, it's the Herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. And once again, I did not see any of the movies that won the Oscars last night for the ninth straight year. I used to watch all of them. Now I watch none of them. J. Mack, you know you and I said, you know, you're a little ahead of yourself at that young man, that young stallion energy of yours. You had Luka turning the Lakers into Bill Russell Celtics and I was like, hold on there cowboy. But I will say they leaned on Luca last night and something is happening here. You start looking at the last six or seven games with Luca. They didn't even have Austin Reeves and Rui last night and they won. And there was a brief moment as they beat the Clippers last night that we thought tech CEO billionaire Steve Ballmer would overtake the Buss family and the Lakers, Jeannie and Jim Buss were struggling to get along. Yeah, that idea has been squashed. The Lakers better today. The Lakers future much brighter last night. Luka huge first half of the Lakers once again bolt out to a lead. And the Clippers desperate to have relevance in a star, have the unlikable Kawhi who's never available and rarely talks and James Harden who can still give you numbers but was -18 + and -Last night. The Lakers have lovable Luca. Everybody loves Austin Reeves and Whether you love LeBron or not, you have to worship at the altar of his physicality, his biology. He is playing like he's 27 years old. And the Lakers have always understood this. And the Clippers in their growth and their ascension don't understand this. It's not just about having a star. It's about in Los Angeles, having the right star. This is not Indianapolis. This is not Orlando. There are stars everywhere. It's about having the right star. Kawhi, James Harden, come on. No, it's about having Jim Harbaugh as coach or Matt Stafford or Shohei Ortani or Luka. Luka is big. And that's. The Lakers have always done that. I mean, they've had some stars who were stoic, like Kareem, but they got, in Magic, Pau Gasol, bit more stoic. And they've got Kobe. The Lakers have understood it's not just a star. It's Magic, it's Shaq, it's Kobe, it's LeBron, it's Luca. Bigger than life. A lot of stars out there in the NBA that don't. Don't translate to wins. The other thing about the Lakers is they get stars. They're not desperate to get them. Same with the Dodgers. Dodgers and Lakers aren't desperate for stars. They want to get stars like Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts who win games, who are great postseason guys, who can do multiple things well. And I mean, the. Comparing the Clippers and Lakers is Six Flags to Disney. You gotta be more than roller coasters. You gotta bring more in than roller coasters. And that's the difference with The Lakers. Last 22 games, their first, second and third in every analytic that matters, first in wins. And there's so much inherent love and tradition and history with the Lakers in Los Angeles and the Dodgers that if you bring in a catalyst like a Shohei or a Luca, they're not only the biggest game in town, they're the biggest team in their sport. So they've won six straight. And give JJ Redick credit. Didn't have Austin Reeves, didn't have Rui. They're playing incredible defense. As Anthony Davis, arguably the best defenser in the league, left, they're playing out of their mind. He's experimenting with small ball lineups. It's got a little warriors feel to it. They don't have to have necessarily a center on the floor at all times. I know a lot of people questioned Redick, and I may have wondered if Luka was in the right shape, but last night was Luka's night, and once again, the Lakers night. And here's the coach after. And it just seemed like throughout the.
Joy Taylor
Game, when we needed a bucket, when we needed him to draw a second, third defender, at times he was able.
Colin Cowherd
To make the right play minus the six turnovers.
Joy Taylor
But he played fantastic tonight. And again, it was that.
Colin Cowherd
That verve and that spirit of competition, but also just something that is. Maybe it's an inner demon, I don't know.
Joy Taylor
But it comes out and it's.
Colin Cowherd
And it's fantastic for us when it does. Okay. This can't be overstated for a lot of places in this country. It's just about getting a star. That has never been it with the Lakers. It's not just about getting a star. Pau Gasol was the right fit for Kobe Bryant, who could be ball centric. Magic Johnson was perfect to bring out the best in Kareem. And I, I think what you're seeing with Luca and the reason they made the move, they already had AD and LeBron 2 stars, but their takeaway was Luca will be better with LeBron. Luca on the nights, LeBron is a little tired. Luca can score 30 points and take over the game. You never knew if you were getting that with ad. AD was a star. His personality, more, more number two, little more stoic, little quieter, more reticent. But. But again, it's not just about the start. Meanwhile, the Clippers have Kawhi Leonard, who's almost never available. They give him an extension. They just want a star. Just, just give us a star. We just don't want to be irrelevant. The Lakers are never irrelevant, so they don't have to worry about. They get the right star. And that's the difference between those two organizations. Six Flag and Disney both have roller coasters. One of them is beyond that. One of them is hotels. One of them is movies. One of them is films. One of them is working the late Steve Jobs, connecting to people's hearts, not just going up and down on a roller coaster. Right? So when I'm watching Luca last night, I'm like, once again, the Lakers do it. It's not just that, hey, we got a famous guy. That's not it. Spielberg can get a lot of famous actors. He leans on the really, really box office draws who can draw people into a theater. That's the difference. And I thought this was interesting this weekend. So, you know, the 49ers will get to this later. They'll be fine. But Debo Samuel got traded to the Washington commander. So this is something J. Mac and I have been talking about. I think we even talked about this December, January, like Debo was unhappy. You know, where he'd fit Washington. So this was a pretty easy one to predict the two things that jump out to me with this deal. Number one, it's a perfect fit. So Washington's got a ton of cap space and Cliff Kingsberry's offense, which is a lot of motion, a lot of tricks, needs a chess piece. Debo is not your classic number one receiver. He doesn't really separate. I think he's had 1,000 yard reception year and that was four years ago. He's, he's not Jamar Chase or Justin Jefferson, but Debo Samuel is a great chess piece and Shanahan is a chess master and Cliff Kingsbury as an offensive coordinator is a chess master. So Debo really works with about a half dozen teams in this league. So that's the first thing. He's a good fit. The second thing though, they only give a fifth round pick now. Think about that, a fifth round pick. Okay. The Dallas Cowboys in their division gave up a fourth round pick for quarterback Trey Lance. And basically every quarterback that Kyle Shanahan's ever had, he makes them better. Kyle Shanahan gave up on Trey Lance. The Cowboys gave up a fourth round pick for Trey Lance. It didn't play. It was third string behind Cooper Rush. They gave up a fourth round pick the Cowboys did for Jonathan Mingo, who I told you the day they did it. That's a terrible move. Mingo, by the way, last year had five catches for Dallas, like I'm telling you, moves. I'm a sportscaster. You can't just give away picks. And, and you see this in the NFL, you start making two or three great moves, you get a Jaden Daniels, you get a Debo for a fifth round pick, you get Kingsbury, he was going to be a Raider or a Bear coordinator. No, you steal Kingsbury with an aggressive deal and then you on the other side in your division, you overpay a quarterback who's a B dak and make him a plus plus money quarterback. And then you give away fourth round picks and all of a sudden, one year later, you look at the Cowboys in Washington two years ago, Cowboys are winning 12 games. Washington is a laughingstock. Today. The Debo move considered Washington's a better team, a better organization, a better quarterback on a much better deal. That's how quickly it happens in the NFL. I mean, look at the Cowboys coaching situation. It was a mess being Mike McCarthy, basically begging for a job. Got one with Dallas and said, no thanks, I'm out of here. And from what I can tell, Jerry Jones walked down the hallway at 1 Cowboy Place and said, what's your name again? Schottenheimer. I knew your father. Would you like to be coach? I mean, it was a mess. It was a Friday news dump. So that one of the things that's great about the NFL in baseball, you know, there's, it takes a while to go from awful to good. In the NBA you got to land the right stars. It takes a while I mean, the draft, it's a bunch of 18, 19 year old kids. They can't even get into the hotel bar. They're staying at the Ritz. But in the NFL, you get the coach, right? The quarterback, right. Two years of making good deals in the front office. Houston Texans laughing stock to playoff team. Washington Commanders laughing stock that they are now a better team, better quarterback, better gm, Savier coach. Oh, by the way, their coach, Dan Quinn, they stole from the Cowboys and, and it, it did not appear to be great for Dallas. So yeah, I thought this move, I mean, forget Philadelphia, they lapped the Cowboys years ago. But this, you start watching the Commanders right now from stealing Cliff Kingsbury, who everybody, he wanted to go to Vegas in Chicago, Washington, he's a, he's more of a Texas west coast guy. Washington gets him. They draft Jaden Daniels. Remember, a lot of people thought they were going to draft Drake maybe. Nope, the Jaden Daniels move, they get an NBA ish guy, Adam Peters, the gm, make him a football guy. Now they get Debo Samuel, which, yes, it was obvious it would work. I only gave up a 5th rounder. Didn't even have to give up Jonathan Allen, a good defensive lineman in the, in the move, which, which that was rumored, didn't have to. So the Silver Star in Dallas becoming a bit of a black hole. That's what I feel like this morning. Does not take long in the NFL. Two or three missteps, overpay for a quarterback, you go from a big brand to irrelevant. That's Dallas this morning. Who by the way, Jerry did not show up, reasons unknown. To the combine. They're giving away fourth round picks. You overpay Dak. That is a third or fourth round team. If Matt Stafford would have gone to the Giants, I'd pick Dallas for last. Aaron Rodgers reportedly still in line potentially for the Giants. If that happens, I'd pick Dallas last. Jmac, you were right on Luca and his relevance. You know what's really interesting? When JJ Reddick got the job, everybody's like, well yeah, he's got a little bit of a dooky ego. He's coaching the hell out of this team. They are, they are exper. I mean last night it's like, okay, we need more Dalton, Dalton connect. I mean we, we, we need more from other guys. You don't get Rui in the corner. You don't have Rui's side. You don't have the playmaking of Austin Reeves. LeBron only gave you 17. You needed Luca to be more centralized, focus of the offense. JJ Redick is becoming a coaching star.
Joy Taylor
I think he's a coach of the year, without question in the NBA. By the way, when you saw the Clippers start double teaming, Luca instantly goes to the bench. Dalton cannot get in there and he starts getting wide open. Threes hit. Five threes. That's as many as Kawhi and James Harden hit combined. I mean, Colin, this Lakers team, they're going to the finals. I've been saying this down for two weeks. People yelling at me, laughing, oh, making fun of Lakers. You watch this team. I mean, that 22 game sample size you posted about earlier, that's like a quarter of the season. They're playing amazing right now.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
Joy Taylor
How's OKC beating this team? Just tell me.
Colin Cowherd
And, and you know, it's. It's hard when you give up stars. I mean, Jimmy Butler leaves Miami with a great coach and they're rudderless.
Joy Taylor
Yeah.
Colin Cowherd
To be able to get Luca going into his prime and still be a very good defensive team. And it's really true. The Clippers just want a star. The Lakers picked the right star. They had one with A.D. i mean, you could have argued. I mean, why move AD because the Lakers are like, we think this star plays better than a star that already won A title with LeBron. AD and LeBron did work. We think we can elevate another level of a Shaq Kobe combination. Kobe Gasol. Like, we think we can be better with Luca LeBron than AD LeBron and AD LeBron was very good.
Joy Taylor
Can you imagine when Luca starts actually making three pointers like he was last night? Like he's probably at 80 to 90% coming back from the injury. Probably 80 once he finds his legs. Oh my God.
Colin Cowherd
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Colin Cowherd
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Joy Taylor
Make some noise for the greatest shooter of all time, Steph Curry. We went live from All Star Weekend for a new podcast called Goat Greatest of Their Era and we ranked our top five shooters from the 2000s. Peja 5 Dirk Ford Peja is elite. Okay, okay, I'm mad him.
Colin Cowherd
I left him off my list, but I still like my list.
Joy Taylor
You won't believe who Steph left off his list. That's so tough. That's why we have these conversations. That's why we have it. Steph talked about what separates the truly elite NBA shooters. When you have a scouting report and you're on the list as not just a shooter, but we have specific rules for how we guard you, there's a fear factor that's associated with anytime you're wide open. Like, you might as well just count that and get on back on defense. Listen to Goat G O T E Greatest of their era on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Colin Cowherd
Oh, I got a lot of pushback last week when I said, Jason Tatum's a great kid and wildly productive and super talented. He is not face of the league. I don't believe you need a face of the league in sports. I don't believe that's true. I think we've had three. I think Michael was magic was. LeBron is. You can have one at a time. In my lifetime, there's been 50 great players. There's been three faces of the league. Jason Tatum's not a face of the league. So Friday night they faced the Cavs, And Jason has 46 points. Oh, I am bombarded. Colin 46 points. And I said, ah, it's interesting. James Harden led the NBA in scoring three straight years. Was he face of the league? In the last week, 10 guys have scored 40 or more points, including Quentin Grimes. Is he a face of the league? Dominique Wilkins scored 61 times. 61 times. Dominique Wilkins scored over 40 points. He was a scoring and dunking machine. Was he face of the league? No, I'll say it again. Face of the league is a formula. It is production and aura and personality and maybe your college career. But, you know the most important thing with it? Are you great in the clutch? Magic Johnson, NBA Finals. Center's hurt. He plays. Center goes 42 and 17. I mean, that. That's face of the league. You're good in the clutch. You don't have to be the scoring champ. You don't have to have the flashiest game. You got to be good in the clutch. Remember that Olympic game this past? Remember the Olympics in Paris? Remember? Remember Tatum, gold medal game? He had two points. He did not play against Serbia in the game before. That's face of the league. Okay, even. Even Friday night against the Cavs. Friday night against the Cavs in the big Tatum game. Game was tied. 3:15 left. They needed buckets. They were at home. Tatum never scored again. Great first half. But in clutch time. There's a clutch time stat in the NBA. Clutch time. The league keeps track of it. He shoots 18% on three pointers in clutch time this year. That's abysmal. He shoots 27% on three pointers in the fourth quarter. By the way, his free throw percentage in clutch is the worst of any quarter, 66%. So he's a worse three point shooter. He's a worse three point shooter in the fourth and overtime and in clutch, he's a worse free throw shooter then. But hey, he had 40. He had a great first half against the Cavs. It's not about that. It is a formula. To be facing the league, you got to want it. And he does want it. And he does have things that help. He went to Duke and he plays for the Celtics. That helps. That gives you. You're not going to be face of the league. If you're playing probably for the Atlanta Hawks and you went to college at smu, we don't know who you are. It helped. That's why international players, we don't see them until they're like, you know, third year in the league. We don't pay attention to a lot of them. So it does help. He went to Duke. He's a great kid. He wants to be it. He plays for the Celtics and they got to the finals and they won and Jaylen Brown was the mvp. How many times was Scotty Pippen in NBA in the finals when he played with Jordan? Okay, it's not. It's nothing against him. I like him. I think there's an argument he's a top five or six player in the NBA. I have always seen him closer to eighth than second or third. But I like him. And it's not hate. But if you're, if you're making the claim that somebody is the face of Hollywood, everybody gotta know who you are when they walk into the theater. That guy that won the Oscar last night, best actor. 90% of Americans don't know who he is. Tom Cruise walks into every room in America. You know who he is? That's a movie star. The guy that won last night's a really talented actor. So face of the league is the NBA's version of movie star. Eastern Conference finals last year, finals last year. Jalen Brown was the MVP of both, bruh. I don't care how many points he scored. Quentin Grimes dropped a 40 burger last week. Okay, 10 guys scored over 40. Dominique did over 4061 times. James Harden led the NBA and scoring three times. Tatum has many of the qualities necessary. He wants to be it. He went to Duke. He's a great kid, excellent NBA player, Celtics. But there's an aura thing and a clutch thing. You can't give me two in the Olympic gold medal game and be a DNP against Serbia and be face of the league. It doesn't work that way, all right? You can't do straight to video movies and be the face of Hollywood. Okay. I don't go to a theater anymore. You know who gets me to a theater? Two people. Christopher Nolan, the director and Tom Cruise, the actor. That's it. Matt Damon, all considered. I'm telling you, just not many get me there. So you can't be a DNP against Serbia. The new rule on the show. If you want to be a face of the league, there can never be a DNP in a big game unless you have like a broken kneecap. And even then, I want you to wobble out there like Willis Reed or MJ Fluge. Yeah, DNP Coach's decision not acceptable. And I like him. J. Mac with the noobs.
Joy Taylor
No, no, no.
Colin Cowherd
Turn on the news. This is the Herdline news. What? What? What? Yeah. Are you upset with a Quentin Grimes slander?
Joy Taylor
I need to apologize to the audience for muttering some F bombs under my breath during that rant. I mean, Geez, Colin. What? 25 minutes into a Monday show and you're going off on Tatum?
Colin Cowherd
I'm upset.
Joy Taylor
I am upset.
Colin Cowherd
Sometimes honesty hurts a little. Okay.
Joy Taylor
All right, let's go to the Cowboys. Micah Parsons. There's discussions about a new deal in Dallas. Parsons is headed into the last season of his five year contract, scheduled to make 24mil next season. A lot of people are assuming Parsons is going to demand, not ask for demand more than Nick Bose's 34 mil will make. Well, which will make him the NFL's highest paid pass rusher. Colin, can they possibly have the highest paid pass rusher and highest paid quarterback and even contend for a playoff?
Colin Cowherd
No. No again. This is. No. Again. Congratulations. Idle again. Micah Parsons, Jason Tatum, absolutely great players. But that, they're, they're, they're not the people I'm relying on in the biggest games. Right. CD Lamb is going to have to carry in big games because that's what the league is now. Okay. Kansas City's great defense couldn't stop Philadelphia. Nobody can stop anybody at the end of the year. So again, there's a handful of pass rushers. Max Crosby. I would absolutely pay. Miles Garrett. I would Absolutely Pay. By T.J. watt. Micah's the next level. Probably Bosa in San Francisco, but. And I like Bosa, but in big games, let's be honest, playoff games, he was not a game record. He just was not a difference maker in a couple of big playoff games.
Joy Taylor
Here we go with the chart of the highest paid non quarterbacks in the league.
Colin Cowherd
I can't put them in that class. I Can't.
Joy Taylor
I like Micah Parsons a lot. So do I. I just don't know that this Dallas model is sustainable. What they're doing after paying Dak and now Micah and now you're basically tapped out. What are they going to do in free agency? What did Jerry Jones say last year? We're all in. And then they did nothing. I don't, I don't think they're going to have an opportunity to ante up in free agency. And they need a lot of guys.
Colin Cowherd
So much of this league, so much of professional sports, but especially the NFL because players have a more impact in the NBA. So much of the NFL is not signing a contract. It's knowing when to walk away from a good player. But he's not game changing. Micah is a very good player, but he is not Myles Garrett. He's not Vaughn Miller in his prime. He is not Max Crosby. So this, this league isn't about, I mean, everybody that should get paid gets paid. You know, prime example is the Niners. We got enough weapons here. They figured out it's time to walk with Debo. And, and I like Debo and you like him. But Miami, Jimmy Butler and I'll get to this. But, but Miami's like, we like Jimmy Butler, but for us now it doesn't make sense and we'll have to rebuild it. And I, I just think Micah to me is if you're going to make him highest paid pass rusher and Dak is now a 90 million dollar cap hit, you can't have two guys that are top of the league in their contract. You cannot do it.
Joy Taylor
Well, the only difference, Debo a little older, Jimmy Butler a little older. Micah Parsons is just entering his prime. He's turning 26 here in May. I don't know what that signals to the fan base in the locker room. If you get off of the Micah Parsons like, who cares? You gotta have. What do you mean who cares?
Colin Cowherd
You know what it signals you want.
Joy Taylor
An empty Jerry Dome Next.
Colin Cowherd
No, Cowboys will always get. Cowboys are like Ohio State football and Duke basketball. They'll sell tickets. If not the secondary market, they'll sell tickets. People will go to watch them around the country. If the tickets are cheap. The question is this. In a weak draft, what do you get for Micah? And the answer is a first round pick. You have got to figure out very quickly because of what you're paying Dak. You got to figure out a way to get cheaper labor. I mean that. Like I say, you can pay Mahomes, but you have to Move off Tyreek Hill. Like, like you have to make very tough decisions. You'll keep Chris Jones, you'll keep Travis Kelce and you don't have to pay tight ends what you have to pay star receivers. So once you pay the quarterback, these are hard, tough decisions that your fan base may not like.
Joy Taylor
Not easy. Next up is the franchise tag. Deadline is 4pm Tomorrow, 4pm Eastern Tuesday. And reports out of Minnesota are saying the Vikings are unlikely to use the franchise tag on Sam Darnold. That should surprise nobody. If they don't tag him, he would be a highly sought after free agent. The tag would mean Darnold makes 41 mil. If they cannot find a trade partner that would eat two thirds of Minnesota. Minnesota's projected salary caps face, which is around $61 million. I think the Vikings are hoping that Darnold gets a good deal somewhere else. I do not see him returning now unless McCarthy's banged up and we don't know what Was it a knee he had?
Colin Cowherd
Well, I mean, you have two teams now. Unless the Raiders, Shedeur Sanders. I don't, you know, people can say what they want about Shadour Sanders. I have a hard time believing he's going to be available to the Raiders or the Jets. No, I just, I have a hard, I don't know what you did in your mock draft. Where'd you have him going?
Joy Taylor
Talk about that in like three, two minutes.
Colin Cowherd
Okay. So I, I just think Sam Darnold's going to have a market and the market is probably the Las Vegas Raiders. That's what it feels like. I think Minnesota's did all they can. I think Minnesota, I think the Vikings essentially did Sam Darnold a favor that they, they know they're not bringing him back, but they're doing him a solid. What the message they're sending to the league is Kevin O'Connell, who's a brilliant offensive coach, is having a hard time figuring out if he can let Sam Darnold go. I think Kevin's already made the decision, but I think they're doing a solid for Sam Darnold because Sam was so much better than they thought he was going to be. And he got them, you know, playoffs and they love them and they love, He's a great kid. So I think Minnesota, their GM and their head coach, really respected are, are doing a solid to Sam Darnold. We love this guy and we don't know what in the hell to do. They've already made their decisions and this will elevate Darnold. From 40 million to maybe 48 to 50 million.
Joy Taylor
I keep thinking the New York Giants could be in play. But remember Daniel Jones ended up in Minnesota. Do you think Darnold talked to Daniel Jones? Hey, what's life like with that Giants franchise and Daniel Jones who kind of got shafted this season, although he stunk, probably was letting Sam Darnold know it's a dysfunctional mess. Don't go there. Now if you say 45 million, I'm sure he's going to go. But do you see the Giants as a landing spot for Darnold?
Colin Cowherd
Well, again, Las Vegas, no state tax, New York City. The bottom line is I take 5 million less a year and go to the Raiders. With Pete Carroll, Chip Kelly, Brock Bowers, I would go to the Raiders over the Giants. And by the way, playing indoors, he's played outdoors in crappy weather.
Joy Taylor
Tougher division, obviously. I don't think.
Colin Cowherd
You know what as Pete Carroll's telling his staff, you got to play those guys anywhere in the AFC and it's.
Joy Taylor
Not like eagles in Washington who look like a beast. Now those aren't, those are not easy. Final story Colin is a mock draft. Are you ready? Mock Draft 3.0 Cam Ward 1 Shedeur 2 I had Travis Hunter going four to the Patriots. How about my guy Tyler Warren, the tight end from Penn State to the Jets? Oh, I would love that. By the way, jets are going to be moving off Devonte Adams. We'll get to that later. Your guy TMAC8 to the Panthers and interestingly offensive lineman had a pretty amazing weekend at the combine.
Colin Cowherd
I don't know how Will Campbell came in.
Joy Taylor
Short arms. Yeah, they think everything else looks really good for Will.
Colin Cowherd
I I gotta tell you, I don't watch as much combine as I used to, but I still watch it. My takeaway is a couple of the one of the Texas receivers had a.
Joy Taylor
Golden Yep, he's down there at 28 to Baltimore.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, I thought golden. He is a first round pick 4294 yeah. And I also think Will Howard had a bad weekend. Oh not I don't know if we're.
Joy Taylor
Going to put him on blast and show the video but I mean he missed like every single downfield.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, yeah.
Joy Taylor
And he's not throwing to superstar receivers anymore. But he did not look like a potential quarterback. I had ashton genti going 22 and basically online, you know the mock draft goes up. More people were outraged to Genti going 22 than any other pick in the first round. Why they think he's a top 10 lock.
Colin Cowherd
Okay, timeout, folks. Folks, it is the deepest running back draft in a decade. There are guys that I watched and I'd given the USC kid, Woody Marks is the best USC back since Reggie Bush and people love him. I've talked to two GMs who love him.
Joy Taylor
He's like 24.
Colin Cowherd
I think they have him going late third. And he's 90% of those first round backs. Like, this is not a year that you have to reach at running back. And I like Genty small and I think he'll be a productive NFL running back. I'm not denying that. But if you need a running back, this is a draft. You could get one in the second, third. Listen, that North Carolina kid, Hampton, I.
Joy Taylor
Had him at 30 going to the Eagles.
Colin Cowherd
Okay, I'm not. I saw that. That's right. I saw that. I'm not so sure he's not the better player.
Joy Taylor
I mean, he's, he's young, he's super tough. I mean that kid runs, you know, some of these running backs. You're right. This is a monster year for backs and we saw a resurgence in the NFL running back. I think teams are going to be drafted, like you said, probably six in the.
Colin Cowherd
So I talked to a Super bowl winning general manager this weekend.
Joy Taylor
Remember we had, we talked to Howie Roseman for me.
Colin Cowherd
No, it wasn't Howie. Very respected guy and I asked him a few questions. I asked him about TMac, that receiver from Arizona who people are cooling on. He said he's very good. So just keep your eye on the receiver from Arizona anytime you hear people cooling on somebody.
Joy Taylor
Yeah, why would you put that out there? So people aren't on the scent. That kid is immensely talented. Listen, I think it's close between him and Travis Hunter in terms of wide receiver skill. Watch some TMAC dude. He's. Travis Hunter I know is super talented, but this kid TMac is a monster.
Colin Cowherd
All right, J. Mack with the news. Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the Herd lie news. Okay, so I, I saw a discussion and I heard a comment this weekend. So Travis Hunter is a terrific player. He, he's going to play wide receiver and corner in the NFL and he said he thinks playing both ways in the NFL is much harder than what Shohei Ohtani is doing in Major League Baseball. And I've got some thoughts on that coming up next. Colin, right. Colin wrong. More importantly, Jimmy Johnson. Top of next hour live in la, it's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon. Eastern, 9:00am Pacific. Hey, Steve Covino. And I'm Rich Davis and together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. And of course the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything. Life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course on social media, that's Covino and Rich. It's the last game of the season and with amex you can save time with card member entrances at select cars venues and go straight to the action so you can catch every moment. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms apply. Learn more@american express.com with AmEx you can count on T mobile to help keep you connected from big cities to small towns on America's largest 5G network. Switch the T mobile keep your phone and they'll pay it off up to 800 bucks per line via prepaid card. Learn more@t mobile.com Keep and switch up to four lines via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device credit service port in 90 plus days with device and eligible carrier and timely redemption required. Card has no cash access and expires in six months.
Joy Taylor
Make some noise for the greatest shooter of all time, Steph Curry. We went live from All Star Weekend for a new podcast called Go Greatest of their era and we ranked our top five shooters from the 2000s. Peja 5 Dirk Ford Peja is elite.
Colin Cowherd
I'm mad him I left him off my list but I still like my list.
Joy Taylor
You won't believe who Steph left off his list. That's so tough. That's why we to have these conversations. That's why we have love it. Steph talked about what separates the truly elite NBA shooters? When you have a scouting report and you're on the list as not just a shooter, but we have specific rules for how we guard you. There's a fear factor that's associated with anytime you're wide open. Like you might as well just count that and get on back on defense. Listen to Goat G O T e greatest of their era on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Colin Cowherd
I'm Mark Seal.
Joy Taylor
And I'm Nathan King.
Colin Cowherd
This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli. The five families did not want us.
Joy Taylor
To shoot that picture.
Colin Cowherd
Leave the Gun Take the Cannoli is based on my co host Mark's best.
Joy Taylor
Selling book of the same title.
Colin Cowherd
And on this show we call upon his years of research to help unpack the story behind the Godfather's birth. From start to finish, this is really the first interview I've done in bed. We sift through innumerable accounts. 35 pages isn't very much, many of them conflicting. That's nonsense. There were 60 pages and try to get to the truth of what really happened.
Joy Taylor
And they said we're finished.
Colin Cowherd
This is over. It only is not going to work.
Joy Taylor
You got to get rid of those guys.
Colin Cowherd
Leave the Gun Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Caan, Talia Shire and many others. Yes, that was a real horse's head. Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Joy Taylor
Saturday on Fox prime time hoops. It's a battle under the bright lights in LA as USC takes on UCLA in a crosstown rival showdown. Coverage begins Saturday at 7 Eastern only on Fox.
Colin Cowherd
No, that, that, that's interesting. I may go to that one. So Travis Hunter is a really good player. He plays for Colorado. He's going to get drafted top 10 somewhere. He plays wide receiver and he plays cornerback, the position that guards wide receiver. And he said this weekend that is harder than doing what Shohei Ohtani is doing, which is pitching in baseball and hitting in baseball. So let's start with this. First of all, Shohei Ohtani isn't just pitching in baseball. He was the starting pitcher for the American League in an all Star game. What Shohei Ohtani is doing, if it was football, is playing quarterback and Mike linebacker. Pitching in baseball isn't just splitting out wide. Throw me the ball. You can't get batters out in Major League Baseball because you have good cardio. Pitching is a craft. It has developed over a decade. Multiple pitching coaches. It's like golf. You got a bunch of clubs in your bag and if you have any weakness, you can't pitch at the major league level and you can't play on the tour. Driver, 5, wood putter, all have to be elite or you're not a tour player in Major League Baseball. Velocity, control, off speed, closing pitch, everything matters. A cornerback in football, as they say, is a wide receiver that can't catch. And a cornerback and a wide receiver share a lot of the same skills. Twitchiness, good hips, elite speed. Now again, not many people are great at it, but they share a lot of qualities. Okay, pitcher in Major League Baseball and hitter in Major League Baseball. Don't go ask Tim Tebow about baseball. Go ask MJ about baseball. Patrick Mahomes had one appearance as a college baseball starter. He got run. He got run. By the way, Deion Sanders was considered a rare, historic two way player. He hit.260 in the bigs. That's what he hit.260. So don't kid yourself on show. What Shohei Otani is doing is like Babe Ruth on hgh. Like it's all totally different. Ball game. There are certain things, you know, I've said this before. There are certain things in sports that are just way harder than people think. Every guy with a 4 handicap or less probably thinks, you know what? I'm a good weekend away from making the tour. No, you're not. No, you're not. If you don't, if you go listen to Phil Mickelson talk about golf, if you don't have every single club in your bag down, how do you play it in rain, high altitude, late afternoon? You have to be an expert at every club in Major League Baseball. You got to have everything dialed in to be a great Major League Baseball pitcher. I, I'm not saying Travis couldn't be a very good receiver and a very good corner. I'm not saying that. But corner and wide receiver share many of the same skills. That is just a disrespect for how hard baseball is. I mean, for most of my life, they said the hardest thing to do in sports was hit a baseball. It may be harder. Now go look at the MLB batting stats because now every pitcher feels like they're 67 and throws 98. Look at how few guys in Major League Baseball hit.310 or over. I mean, it is like I don't have it in front of me. Look at how many Major League baseball teams? These are great players. Team averages are under 265. I think it's a majority of the teams, so that's not close. What Shohei is doing is historic. What Travis could do potentially is really cool, but it's easier. Okay. So I, I, oh by the way, Mahomes was a reliever in college, not a starter. He still wasn't any good. So, so this weekend I, I, I think the combine is kind of important. But Sean McVeigh doesn't go so it can't be that important. It's not the be all end all. But if you're, you can pop and absolutely go from a second rounder to a first rounder and you can also have a really, really bad combine and go from maybe fourth rounder to six rounder. That was Will Howard this weekend, the quarterback for Ohio State. He, he really struggled. Now I think Will Howard, I said before the combine feels like a fifth rounder. He may be a six rounder but here's the thing that jumps out to me. Joe Burrow is one of the only examples of a college quarterback that played with a stack roster and then went to the NFL. And year after year after year after year after year no doubt is a top 10 quarterback. Top three. One of the reasons I like Shador Sanders is because he got the crap beat out of him at Colorado. No run game, awful offensive line, always trailing. Basically had to create his own offense. Will Howard at Ohio State, think about this. Completed 61% of his throws at Kansas State. He goes to Ohio State, a much better conference and complete 73%. Did he get that much better in the year?
Joy Taylor
No.
Colin Cowherd
It's called Chip Kelly. It's called two NFL running backs. I mean Chadoor Sanders had no run game. Will Howard had two NFL running backs. Go look at the receivers Ohio State had. Jermaine. Jeremiah Smith would be number one pick if he was in this draft. Number one pick. Okay. Emika Abuka the receiver would be the number one receiver on NFL teams. He was the second best receiver for Ohio State. And this is not a knock on Will Howard. I, I, I thought he was a, I don't see him as a franchise quarterback. I think he's a really good backup again, moves pretty well. Big kid did not have a good day. But this, this is why I've said this before, that there's a reason that Miami of Ohio has a better all time quarterback historically than anybody that played at like Ohio State or Alabama or USC is that if your college experience I mean, I was looking this morning, Will Howard, if you look at sacks, Will Howard was sacked 13 times this year at Ohio State. Shador Sanders was sacked 42 times. He was under duress on every single snap. That's what happens when you get drafted in the NFL in the top 10. You end up on bad teams with bad old lines, often bad position coaches. So Will Howard was flying private Ohio State. Will Howard was flying private at Ohio State. Shador Sanders was in row 42 on that airline that's bright yellow. And you know my theories on airlines. I want red, white and blue as colors. I don't even like gray. That signifies agents. And I will not fly airlines that are bright yellow. So Shador Sanders was running for his life. No run game, often trailing. Had to create his entire offense. And that doesn't mean Will Howard's not talented, but Joe Burrow is one of the only guys that went from a stack college roster. And then you look five or six years later and you're like, oh God, this guy is an all time player. It's hard to do. It's really hard to do. And Joe Burrow had to transfer. So he had some turbulence in his career. And here's the other thing. Will Howard and Chador Sanders, I, I found this hard to believe, but the guys gave it to me. Both had the same number of interceptions. Nothing about that. Shadur Sanders has no run game and is running for his life. Had 10 picks. Will Howard had the best receiving core in the country. Chip Kelly. You know, Ryan Day is a heck of a coach. You're looking at the numbers, same number of picks. And by the way, Shador had more touchdown throws. I mean, look at those numbers. So I'm not anti. Again, this goes back to I'm not anti Jason Tatum. I am not, I am not anti Will Howard. But the numbers don't lie when you have a protected college environment. And as a quarterback, history says, I mean, don't you think it should be linear? Right? You're a five star high school quarterback. You go to usc, Alabama, Ohio State, lsu, you have the great players and then you're like a number one pick and you're a star. It's not the way it works. It is not the way it works. Drew Brees went to Purdue, right? Start looking at it. Big Ben, Miami of Ohio, Jared Goff, Cal. Aaron Rodgers, Cal. A lot of these stars, Andrew Luck went to Stanford. A lot of these star quarterbacks got the, you know what beat out of him in college that prepares you for the NFL. Not sacked 10 times. Comfortable pocket. I mean, there were two or three games where will Howard was uncomfortable. Penn State, he wasn't great. Michigan, he was bad. Texas. But again, Ohio State had the better team.
Joy Taylor
Hey, some breaking news from the super bowl champs, if you're interested. Just a small piece.
Colin Cowherd
All right.
Joy Taylor
They are. The Eagles are releasing Darius. Big play slayer, 34 years old. They've got a great secondary, a lot of young guys, predictable. That's not a bad pickup, though. Slay's still got a little left in the tank.
Colin Cowherd
He's got a year left.
Joy Taylor
He's good.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, they. They have drafted so well that their drafting forced them to make that move. They have drafted that well in Philadelphia. Jimmy Johnson next. This is Nikki Glazer from the Nikki Glazer Podcast. On a more serious note, I'm still thinking about that commercial with Tom Brady and Snoop Dogg hating on each other. Because when you listen to the reasons for hating someone or something, you realize just how stupid they really are. There is too much hate in this country and it's gotta stop. So join us at iHeart in standing up to it. If you see hate, speak up, call it out, and you can learn more by following oupwithhate.
Joy Taylor
Make some noise for the greatest shooter of all time, Steph Curry. We went live from All Star weekend for a new podcast called Goat Greatest of their era, and we ranked our top five shooters from the 2000s.
Colin Cowherd
Peja 5.
Joy Taylor
Dirk Ford.
Colin Cowherd
Paja is a loot.
Joy Taylor
You won't believe who Steph left off his list. That's so tough. That's why we have these conversations. Absolutely love it. Listen to Goat G o t e Greatest of their era on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Colin Cowherd
Hey, it's Alec Baldwin. This past season on my podcast, here's the thing, I spoke with more actors, musicians, policymakers, and so many other fascinating people, like writer and actor Dan Aykroyd. I love writing more than anything. You're left alone. You know, you do three hours in the morning, you write three hours in the afternoon. Go pick up a kid from school and write at night. And after nine hours, you come out with seven pages and then you're moving on. And actor and comedian Jack McBrayer. The most important aspect is the collaboration with people that I like, I trust are talented. That has been the most amazing gift to me about this crazy business that we've chosen.
Joy Taylor
Meeting these people who have such diverse.
Colin Cowherd
Talents and you're able to create something together. Listen to here's the thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, you guys, I'm Katherine Legge. I'm a racing driver who's literally driven everything with four wheels across the planet. And I've got a new podcast. It's called Throttle Therapy. This season, I'm competing in some of the world's most notorious racing events. Tune into my new podcast, Throttle Therapy, with Katherine Legg, an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.
Podcast Title: The Herd with Colin Cowherd
Episode: Hour 1 - The NFC East is about to change
Release Date: March 3, 2025
Host: Colin Cowherd
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
Overview:
Colin Cowherd delves into the recent surge of the Los Angeles Lakers, attributing their success to the strategic acquisition and exceptional performance of Luka Doncic. He emphasizes the importance of not just acquiring stars, but the right stars who can elevate the team’s dynamics and performance.
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Cowherd contrasts the Lakers’ and Clippers’ organizational strategies, arguing that the Lakers’ holistic approach to team building sets them apart as a dominant force in the NBA.
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Transitioning to the NFL, the discussion centers on the Washington Commanders acquiring Debo Samuel. Cowherd analyzes the trade's strategic fit and its implications for both teams involved.
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The conversation shifts to the Dallas Cowboys, focusing on their contractual commitments, particularly concerning star linebacker Micah Parsons. Cowherd questions the sustainability of their financial models amidst high-value contracts.
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Cowherd discusses the Minnesota Vikings' considerations regarding the franchise tag for quarterback Sam Darnold, highlighting the strategic and financial implications of their decision.
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A segment is dedicated to analyzing potential outcomes of the upcoming NFL Draft, with Cowherd and co-host Joy Taylor discussing player prospects and team needs.
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The discussion turns to Jason Tatum’s standing in the NBA, debating whether he has the qualities to be considered the face of the league.
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In the latter part of the episode, Cowherd and Taylor touch upon various other sports topics, including the release of veteran players and speculative discussions on coaching hires. The conversation also briefly mentions a mock interview and upcoming segments.
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This episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd offers an in-depth analysis of both NBA and NFL landscapes, focusing on strategic team building, player performances, and financial sustainability. From the Lakers' strategic rise with Luka Doncic to the Dallas Cowboys' contractual challenges, Cowherd provides insightful commentary backed by detailed statistics and comparative analysis. Listeners are treated to a blend of tactical discussions and speculative insights, making it a must-listen for sports enthusiasts keen on understanding the evolving dynamics of their favorite leagues.
Note: All timestamps reference the original transcript provided and are used to highlight key moments within the discussion.